In September, Peepingmoon.com exclusively revealed that Angrezi Medium director Homi Adajania is next directing a crime thriller based on Anuja Chauhan’s bestselling book, Club You to Death. The director teams up with his regular collaborator, Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films, to adapt this 2021 novel into a star-studded murder mystery franchise along the lines of the Hollywood thriller, Knives Out. Two months on, the makers have locked down the leading cast of the project and have already begun its pre-production to get it off the ground early next year.
Peepingmoon.com has learned that Janhvi Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Pankaj Tripathi, and Dimple Kapadia have been locked in to play the lead roles in Homi Adajania’s film. It’s a gripping whodunit set in Delhi and has tentatively been titled Murder Mubarak. Anuja Chauhan’s book is a thrilling crime novel with an air of romance and comedy. Its big screen adaptation requires an ensemble cast, and the makers have brought on board a string of stellar actors in Janhvi, Aditya, Pankaj, and Dimple. They play the lead roles while the casting for supporting characters is underway. Homi has kicked off the pre-production and will lock the shooting timelines in about a month," a source close to the development told us, adding that the makers are targeting a late 2023 release for the film.
The film is set in the fictional world of the elitist, antique, and most respected Delhi Turf Club (DTC) and follows the lives of two ex-lovers as they help ACP Bhavani Singh crack a murder case that takes place within the club’s premise. Pankaj Tripathi is said to be playing a genius, garrulous, well-mannered 50-year-old cop, ACP Bhavani Singh, while Janhvi (a wealthy girl-about-town) and Aditya (a hottie lawyer) will be seen as ex-lovers with a lot of history and resentment and no proper closure. Dimple Kapadia's character details are unknown at this time, but we believe she will play a powerful role similar to those she has played in previous Homi Adajania films.
Club You to Death is an entertaining, funny, and deliciously twisted story that traces the murder of a personal trainer at the posh Delhi Turf Club on the eve of the club’s presidential election. It's first thought to be a freak accident, but soon it becomes clear that it’s a cold-blooded murder, and one of the club members is the killer. As the capital bristles with speculation and conspiracy theories, crime branch veteran ACP Bhavani Singh is appointed to investigate the case. Together with his able deputies—ex-lovers Akash ‘Kashi’ Dogra and Bambi Todi—Bhavani sets out to solve a crime that seems simple enough at the surface but turns out to have roots as deep and spreading as those of New Delhi’s famous Neem trees.
The Homi Adajania film marks Aditya Roy Kapur and Janhvi Kapoor’s first on-screen pairing, fulfilling the dreams of many of their fans wanting to see them together in a film. It’s the first time Aditya is doing a film with Dinesh Vijan, while for Janhvi, it will mark her second collaboration with Pankaj Tripathi and Maddock Films after Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl and Roohi, respectively. It's also the first time Pankaj Tripathi and Dimple Kapadia will be working together.
On the work front, Janhvi has finished Varun Dhawan’s Bawaal and is currently shooting for Sharan Sharma’s Mr. & Mrs. Mahi with Rajkummar Rao. She is then expected to shoot Murder Mubarak, followed by Ali Abbas Zafar’s Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. Aditya has the Thadam remake with Mrunal Thakur and The Night Manager adaptation with Disney+Hotstar in the pipeline, while Pankaj Tripathi has Raj & DK’s Amazon Prime series, Gulkanda Tales, and Oh My God 2 up for release next year. Dimple Kapadia, meanwhile, will next be seen in Luv Ranjan’s untitled rom-com with Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, followed by Homi Adajania’s Disney+Hotstar series, Saas, Bahu, Aur Cocaine.
